Tucson Medical Center urges Sun Tran Management and the Teamsters to resolve their differences and end what has become the community’s longest running bus strike.

“This impasse continues to hurt thousands of Tucsonans, forcing many of the community’s most vulnerable members to perform logistical gymnastics just to be able to get to work, get to the doctor’s office, go grocery shopping or attend job training,” said Julia Strange, vice president of community benefit for TMC HealthCare.

Quite aside from the impact that the strike is having on vulnerable populations, TMC, as the community’s 15th largest employer, is seeing impacts on productivity.

Since Aug. 5, which was Day One of the strike, TMC has been running shuttles to pick up employees who would otherwise not be able to make it to work. Even though TMC is centrally located at Grant and Craycroft roads, hospital shuttles are picking employees up from as far as Benson Highway.

“It is the right way to treat our employees, who are being affected by this stressful situation through no fault of their own. Ultimately, it’s also the right way to treat our patients, since we need to be sufficiently staffed to appropriately care for their needs,” Strange said. “Nevertheless, running shuttles is a drain on our resources. We also fear that the longer the strike goes on, the fewer options people will have who rely on public transportation to live their everyday lives. We very much look forward to a successful conclusion of the transit negotiations.”